Talking with Chris Hardwick: Season Two; Pulled by AMC But Not Cancelled

Comedian Chris Hardwick, under fire after ex-girlfriend Chloe Dykstra's allegations of sexual assault and emotional abuse surfaced Friday, has pulled out of Comic-Con and won't be appearing at KAABOO Del Mar, the news coming on the same day AMC announced Saturday that it was temporarily shelving the second season premiere today of "Talking with Chris Hardwick" as the situation continues to unfold.

AMC Networks said "Talking with Chris Hardwick" won't air on AMC while it assesses the situation and that Hardwick chose to step aside from next month's Comic-Con panels in San Diego.

A statement from AMC reads, "We have had a positive working relationship with Chris Hardwick for many years..." However, we take allegations of misconduct very seriously. "While we assess the situation, Talking with Chris Hardwick will not air on AMC, and Chris has made a decision to step aside from moderating planned AMC and BBC America panels at Comic-Con International in San Diego next month".

Hardwick has denied the allegations. But more importantly, Number Two: "A warning", she said in her Medium essay. I was blindsided by her post and always wanted the best for her.

Although she does not mention Hardwick by name, her description of the boyfriend and the time when her alleged ordeal took place suggest it is Hardwick whom she is speaking about. He said the couple's three-year relationship was imperfect and included arguments, but he loved her.

Dykstra said that after she left him for another man, her ex called companies she had worked for and threatened to not work with them unless they parted ways with her.

While Hardwick's wife Lydia Hearst has remained silent, his mother-in-law Patty Hearst, the famed kidnapping victim and heiress, has released some cryptic posts on her social media accounts. Including let him sexually assault me.

He continued: "I was heartbroken to read Chloe's post. As a husband, a son, and future father, I do not condone any kind of mistreatment of women".

A former radio DJ and standup comedian, Hardwick got his big break in 1995 on the MTV dating show "Singled Out".

Hardwick, 46, has been a Comic-Con regular, known for co-hosting "The Nerdist" podcast and emceeing numerous panels at the annual pop-culture convention, scheduled to begin in San Diego on July 19. Three years later he became founder and chief creative officer of Nerdist Industries.

A rep for Hardwick did not immediately respond Sunday to a request for comment on AMC's announcement. Hardwick was believed to still be CEO of Nerdist, but according to owner Legendary Digital Networks, he had no operational involvement for two years leading up to his contract expiration in December 2017.

Following the allegations, the website Nerdist - which he founded but is no longer affiliated with - removed all references to Hardwick, saying it was "shocked" in a Twitter statement.